30,000 online visits and 200 doctors on the MediCall platform in the first month of telemedicine and the demand is increasing

The MediCall platform, the first video service for online medical examinations developed by Medicover together with ATLAS, had over 30,000 visits in the first month after launch. Patients who needed medical advice communicated video, live, with hundreds of general practitioners, and internal medicine, epidemiology, pneumology, infectious diseases, paediatrics, endocrinology, gastroenterology, obstetrics-gynaecology, neurology, diabetes and nutrition, rheumatology and psychology doctors.

“We have noticed that doctors as well as patients are starting to get used to this type of interaction, which we believe will become a significant instrument of the medical practice even after the crisis.  Suggestive in this regard is the accelerated increase of the number of patients which request remote examinations, which determined us to double the number of physicians and increase the number of medical fields available on MediCall”, declared dr. Radu L. Gorduza, CEO Medicover Romania (photo).

Over 200 physicians in 23 different fields are presently available on the MediCall platform, which can be accessed by anybody from anywhere, as long as there is an internet connection available. The most sought for are the paediatricians, who have already examined online several hundred patients

“We, as paediatricians, collect the medical data from the parents, however, proximity to the children is essential, in order to feel their needs and understand their condition. As such, our greatest challenge was to adapt the interaction with the little ones to the communication through the medium of a screen and establish a connection based on trust. The parents’ approach is very helpful since they understand that the virtual examination also implies the responsibility of the medical practice per se and that it takes place in conditions of safety and confidentiality concerning medical data”, explains Crenguța Momîrlă, a Medicover paediatrician.

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Psychology ranks second by number of appointments, followed by general practice. The continuous increase in demands for remote examinations by MediCall also accelerates the recruitment of physicians from all around the country; therefore, the Medicover officials expect to list over 500 specialists on the remote medical platform by the end of the year.

Furthermore, the Medicover officials consider that the development of services that support the remote medical practice is only the beginning of a significant digital revolution in the medical system.

Dr. Radu L. Gorduza: “Online examinations represent just a small part of what telemedicine really is. The crisis generated a need for innovation in this sector in particular, where I expect to witness a synergy of the public environment with the private environment as far as the continuing digitalization is concerned, whether it’s remote radiology, special terminals for EKG monitoring or fast remote testing; what follows is a natural transition towards artificial intelligence and machine learning, especially since AI based programs greatly reduce diagnostic errors.”

Released in March, this year, the MediCall service was developed with the goal to support the need to reduce the traffic and social interaction of Romanians, in the context of restrictions in place for limiting the spread of the Coronavirus.

The platform can be accessed between 8:00 and 22:00 on www.medicover.ro, directly on the link medicover.atlas.app and using the application ATLAS – Healthy mind & body, available for iOS and Android. In order to get in through with a physician, patients need to create a personal account on the platform using their e-mail address, to choose the speciality and name of the physician and to make an online appointment, without the need to fill in a form or call a call centre. Interactions between patients and physicians are confidential.

Medicover România subscribers can also get medical opinions using the “HomeDoctor” service, available for free, by which they will open a dialogue with the requested physician from Monday to Sunday, between 8:00 and 22:00. They can choose between 22 medical fields, including paediatrics, pneumology, ENT, cardiology, epidemiology, gastroenterology, diabetes and nutrition, represented by over 200 physicians.

During this time, all Medicover medical units will operate normally in order to service the patients. The Medicover clinics follow strict protocols for safety and prevention, and the Bucharest Medicover Hospital and the Pelican Oradea Hospital provide 24/7 on call services